


Ships Setting Sail

by ArtisanMushrooms



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Instagram, M/M, Social Media
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-12-01 10:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11484279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisanMushrooms/pseuds/ArtisanMushrooms
Summary: Yuri Plisetsky and Otabek Altin consider themselves to be good friends. But when a sudden and unexpected blackmailer turns them into something more than that, the two find themselves right in the middle of a social media shipping war, and they are forced to act like a couple for the crowd.... But maybe they're not as reluctant to be dating as they pretend to be.The battle is on!Yuuri and Victor vs. Yuri and Otabek!DISCONTINUED for the time being





	1. Run for It

_**Quick PSA: This fic takes place just after season one of Yuri!!! On Ice.** _

"God, I'm finally glad to be out of there," Yuri Plisetsky sighed as he stretched outside of the banquet hall. "It was too disgusting to even look at Victor and the stupid Japanese loser. I swear Victor kept nonchalantly giving the pig more and more alcohol in an attempt to get him drunk. I definitely don't want to see THAT."

Yuri looked over to gauge his companion's reaction, but as usual, the stoic Otabek Altin gave no emotions away.

"Tell me you at least agree with me a little bit," Yuri said, hoping for a satisfactory response.

Otabek simply shrugged. "Eh. It didn't bother me that much."

Yuri huffed in disappointment. "Nothing seems to bother you that much."

"You may be right. But then again, why does this year's Grand Prix Finals Champion need my approval on anything?" Otabek gave his friend a small, coy grin.

Growling, Yuri punched him lightly on the arm. "I told you, you don't have to call me that. There's no need to be so formal when we're friends."

He felt his voice hitch up an octave at the end. Yuri still felt an unfamiliarity with saying the word "friend." In fact, who was he to tell Otabek about the rules of friendship when he barely knew them himself? Yuri rolled his eyes at his own thoughts, glad that people couldn't read minds. Now onto more important matters; the press. To help the skaters relax, any and all reporters were blocked from entering the banquet, but that didn't mean they didn't send croonies to get bits of info. Someone probably spotted him and Otabek leaving. It wouldn't be long until a few stray reporters flocked to their location.

"Regardless, how many interviews did you get yourself into before the banquet? It seemed like it took you hours to arrive," Otabek observed. Together, they drifted through the streets of Barcelona aimlessly. It wasn't difficult; most of the city dwellers were sleeping in their beds, and the rest were getting too drunk to remember the night.

"Not too many. Lots of reporters wanted interviews, but Yakov helped me with avoiding most of them." Yuri tried his best to brush it off, as Otabek wasn't just another competitor he could berate and brag to. "It probably felt long because you were desperate for my company."

Otabek shrugged. "Pretty much."

Yuri's back stiffened at the unexpected comment. "Th-that was a joke, Otabek." His face flushed slightly. Yuri had always been this way about showing affection, even if it was just a tiny suggestion that he had missed someone. He was even less experienced on the receiving end. In the Russian ice rinks, it was rare to bond with other skaters, since most athletes were so focused on their training regiments. No one had given Yuri many compliments, much less state that they enjoyed spending time with him and preferred his company.

'Calm down, Yuri, he literally said two words and here you are analyzing your entire life,' the Russian thought to himself. But still, Otabek's answer made Yuri feel warm and a little bit hyper at the same time.

Yuri was so caught up in this new feeling that he didn't notice Otabek had stopped walking.

"Yuri, wait a second," he said quietly, a hand held aloft in the air.

"What are you doing-"

"Shh!" Otabek clasped a hand over his mouth. "Someone is here."

Yuri's face reddened, and he would have shoved Otabek's hand away if he hadn't heard the voice too. It was obviously only one person, and they seemed to be whispering.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm following. Calm down, they haven't gotten too far away. I am so excited! Number Three, you're notifying the Angels, right? Perfect. Operation, GO!"

Yuri slowly removed Otabek's hand from his mouth. "What the hell?!" he whispered. "Who is that?"

Otabek shook his head. "I don't know, I don't care either. Whoever it is, they're getting your fangirls all riled up. They'll flood the streets at any second."

Yuri's eyes narrowed as the entire situation came into view. "Oh God." Yuri had had people leak his location to his fans before, and chaos almost always ensued. He wondered how he had accrued such an obsessed fanbase.

All at once, a synchronized scream shook the city of Barcelona wide awake as thousands of sleeping fangirls awoke to the leaker's online message. Otabek turned around and could see dust rising in the distance, coming towards them.

"Here they come," he grumbled. "No motorcycle to save us this time."

Yuri sighed, then yanked on Otabek's jacket sleeve. "I hope you're a good runner."

With that, the two broke into a swift sprint and passed through as many alleys as they could, trying to throw off their trail and lose their trackers.

"Should we go back to the hotel?" Otabek questioned as he pumped his arms back and forth, in sync with the sway of his body. Yuri was slightly behind him. The younger boy was fast, but Otabek's strides were longer and more powerful.

"No, that would be obvious. Plus, they would have my room number then!"

"Where are we going then? They'll catch us eventually if we keep running aimlessly!"

As they turned another corner, still unsure of where they were going, Yuri smacked right into another skater.

"Oh, Yuri! Otabek! What are you two doing here?" Phichit asked, oblivious to the impending doom dawning behind the two.

Yuri looked ready to sacrifice Phichit to the Fangirl Deity to escape its wrath. "Watch out, coming through!" Yuri screeched and without hesitation barreled right over poor Phichit.

Phichit lay stunned on the ground as Otabek slowly and apologetically ran after the blonde fury. "Sorry Phichit," he called out, then added, "They'll spare you... Hopefully." The Thai skater weakly rose a hand after them, but they had left him in their dust.

After a quick turn to the right, Yuri and Otabek came to face a brick wall.

"Dead end," Yuri groaned. "We've got to go ba- AAAH!

Otabek watched as Yuri was yanked into the door on their left.

"Yuri?!" Otabek yelled, panic rising on the edge of his voice. Lightning fast, an invisible arm reached through the open doorway and grabbed Otabek by the collar. In one swift motion, the Kazakh was absorbed into the pitch-black room.


	2. One Simple Request

The door slammed, enveloping the two in darkness. Otabek felt himself be shoved, hard. He collided with another (smaller) body.

"Bek?" the voice called. That was Yuri speaking, but he sounded so different from his usual angry and proud voice. Here, he sounded bewildered and cautious. 

Before Otabek could respond, a shutter sounded and a flash went off, briefly illuminating the room. 

"YES!" a voice cheered. "You all are soooo lucky that I rescued you from that."

The lights flickered on above them. The room was a storage room, crammed with what looked to be athletic gear. And there, seated on multiple boxes of soccer field goals (crafted somewhat to look like a throne), was the one and only Phichit Culanont. 

"Phichit?" Yuri sputtered. "But you... Now I'm just confused."

"Skating has taught me to get up even after rough falls," Phichit said smiling, then glowered slightly at Yuri, "But I'm not quite a hockey player, so sometimes it's a bit harder."

Yuri sighed. "Sorry, I was trying to survive. You know how it is, right Phichit? You're pretty popular too."

Phichit's frown fell away. "Well, yeah, but...That's not the point. I'm here for a different reason." Then Phichit started to giggle, then laughed like a maniac until he was gasping for air.

Yuri and Otabek looked at each other, unsure if Phichit had been their savior or their captor. "Umm, Phichit, are you okay?" Otabek asked quietly.

Phichit straightened up immediately. "I'm quite fine, thank you." He left his throne of soccer equipment, then crossed the room to a rack of hockey sticks. 

"So anyways, I decided that even though you were extremely rude to me earlier when you ran me over, I would help you out with your fangirl problem. Here you are, safe and sound! I did a pretty good job, right?"

Otabek strangely felt like he was in the cold clutches of another danger instead of being safe from one, but he kept his mouth shut. The last thing they needed was for Phichit to throw them out to the crowd again.

"In turn for saving your life, I would like only one thing," Phichit said, flashing an oddly dark grin. "I want a shipping war."

Phichit watched with delight as Yuri's visage turned crimson, and Otabek stared at him blankly. "What is a shipping w-"

"NO! I don't know who the hell you think you are, demanding something like that, but I don't care, asshead! I'm not going to appease your fanboy appetite!" Yuri screeched impatiently. He turned and grasped the doorknob of the backdoor. "We are leaving!"

All at once, Phichit rushed at the door and threw a hand against it. His eyes flared as he launched into a spitting, whispering tyrade. "No. No you won't, because if you do, I will notify the press and before you know it, every reporter within an 80 mile radius, plus a few hundreds of your crazed fans, will have your current location and your room number. Your next few days in Barcelona will be a living hell."

Otabek observed as Phichit and Yuri locked eyes silently. He could see Yuri's shoulders tremble slightly in rage, but Phichit kept his cool and a small smirk crossed his mouth. "Now, you don't have to agree to my terms, but you do have to listen to them. Just once."

"... FINE. But don't get any ideas..." Yuri growled, releasing the doorknob. Otabek vaguely outlined the mold of a hand on the doorknob, as if Yuri had been crushing it in his anger. 

'I should kick him for trapping us in here, but... Phichit has control of the masses. Every skating fan knows who he is, and if he speaks, they'll definitely listen,' Yuri reasoned in defeat. 'He could summon hordes if he wanted to.'

"I just want you to hear me out, okay?" Phichit said, all previous aggression disappearing. "Yuri, you especially." 

Yuri gave a deep, annoyed sigh, but slowly nodded his head. 

"How do you feel about Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki being together?" Phichit asked.

"I WANT TO KILL THEM!" Yuri screamed without hesitation. 

Otabek glanced over at the younger boy, then simply shrugged. 

Phichit smiled. "You don't like them as a couple, right?" Yuri nodded vigorously. "Well, I propose a competition between you two and Victor and Yuuri. You and Otabek don't have to be a real couple. Just pretend to be one and post activities you do together on Instagram for a while. After a few months, I'll do a poll, and whoever has the most supporters wins!" 

Otabek shifted a little bit, but he didn't let his uncomfort with the situation show outwardly. He liked Yuri. He liked having Yuri as a friend. And he knew how friendship could be ruined so easily by romantic interests, even fake ones. It made him nervous, but Yuri seemed too caught up in the idea of rubbing their truimph in Victor and especially Yuuri's faces.

"Yes! We'll do it!" Yuri shouted without even looking at Otabek for confirmation. 

"Wonderful! You agreed even faster than I thought you would. It won't be hard to start up the shipping, as rumors have already been going around after the motorcycle incident," Phichit said.

Otabek sighed. Of course there had been rumors. When had there not been rumors?

"So, when do we start our campaign?" Yuri asked with a smirk on his face. He was already imagining the priceless expression of a defeated Yuuri Katsuki, and it was improving his mood wonderfully. If it meant ruining Victor and Yuuri's relationship, then he'd do anything, even pretend to be a couple with his only friend.

Otabek felt himself almost shrivel up like a wilting flower. Yuri was treating this like a huge competition. Of course, it was a little rivalry between two couples, but he felt he knew how these next few months would go by. Yuri would do anything to win; it was his competitve nature. 

"Just take it slow for now. Don't jump into the fake relationship boat too fast. Start off with some friendly posts to get your fans riled up. Then, when the moment's right, drop the bomb that you two are dating," Phichit explained. Otabek had the strange feeling that Phichit had coached these types of things before. 

"But for now, I'll get you two started," the Thai skater said, whipping out his phone. His thumbs sped across his screen as he strung together words and hashtags, then raised his index finger to hit the "Post" button. 

Both Otabek and Yuri's phones buzzed in their pockets. 

"Aww," Phichit cooed as he held a hand to his heart, "you two are following me? I appreciate it."

Yuri quickly took his phone out and opened Instagram to see Phichit's post. 

When it opened, he saw a dimly-lit photo of him and Otabek. Both wore faces of surprise and confusion. Otabek had draped his arm protectively around Yuri's shoulders, and the Russian gripped the Kazakh's jacket hem firmly in his fist. 

Phichit's message below the photo read "Caught @ yuri-plisetsky and @ otababek-alton in a closet together! #SCANDALOUS #butCUTE"

  Yuri felt his cheeks heat up, but he was proud to see how many people had already liked and commented, saying the two would be a cute couple. 

Otabek had taken out his phone, too, and had noted how many likes the post had gotten in less than a minute. "And so it begins," he whispered to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Woah, thanks so much for all the Kudos and views! I really appreciate it, wonderful people!**


	3. Wild Night

**From now on, the fic will have a little more cursing than usual, thanks to Yuri's foul mouth. You have been warned!**

Phichit hurried Otabek and Yuri out the door, giving them vague explanations as to where they were going.

"This next part is tricky. Go around the corner, but steer clear of fangirls. They're still out there, searching for blood. I have a cabbie waiting. Now... GO GO GO!" Phichit patted the two's backs, then shoved them out the door, back into the alley.

Yuri crept along the wall, with Otabek close behind him. He surveyed the small street leading out from the alleyway, then tilted his head, listening for crazed screams. None were close, but he could hear some in the distance. They would have to move quickly.

Yuri grabbed Otabek's hand. A small flush spread across the Kazakh's cheeks, but Yuri didn't take notice.

Otabek felt weird about this entire situation. It wasn't the first time he had planned to pretend-date, but this time he felt like Phichit was controlling their relationship for his own purposes. And not to mention, Yuri was taking this little thing way too seriously. He wouldn't mind actually dating Yuri, but the Russian didn't seem to care about him at all in that way.

In the blink of an eye, Yuri took off, dragging an indifferent Otabek behind him.

Around the corner was an empty golf cart.

"Wait, Phichit said there would be someone to drive us?" Otabek said. "Where did they go?"

"DON'T KNOW, DON'T CARE," Yuri screamed as he jumped behind the wheel of the cart. "GET IN."

The tires of the little vehicle screeched as they veered precariously out of the tiny street.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING?!" Otabek yelled. Yuri was 15, and he doubted Russia gave out licenses at that age. Plus, the blonde was flooring the gas pedal and throwing the steering wheel every which way. He had absolutely no clue what he was doing.

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" Yuri yelled back. He smiled slightly as he felt the wind tousle his hair. This was kind of fun.

"Heeeeyyy~" a voice cooed just behind Yuri's ear.

"CHRIS YOU ASSHEAD WHY ARE YOU IN THE BACK OF MY GOLF CART?"

"Well, technically this is my golf cart. I am, well "was," your driver," Chris explained.

Otabek glanced at the other skater, then turned back around with a pale face. "Chris, where are your clothes," he asked, in a deadpan voice.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUCK," Yuri shrieked, but kept his eyes ahead of him. Speaking of which, they had reached populated roads. And Yuri was doing a great job of swerving inbetween every damn car.

" _Please can you please let off the gas please before we die please_ ," Otabek droned, almost done with living.

"SUCK IT MOTHERFUCKERS!"

And now Chris was standing on the backseat of the golf cart, swinging his hips at every passing car.

"Save me," Otabek pleaded to the sky, hoping it would open and take him to a place with no pain.

"HEY THERE'S THE BANQUET HA-"

**_CRASH_**

The golf cart barreled through the glass doors of the banquet hall, then slammed into the wall. With a shudder, the golf cart's engine died.

"Wow, that was crazy," a voice called to them from the side. "Where were you all anyways?"

"SHUT UP, PIGGY!" Yuri slammed a fist down on the dashboard of the cart and glared at the stunned Japanese man.

"Yurio, no need to be so angry! Here, take a swig," Victor said, appearing with a glass of yellowish liquid.

"Victor, he's underage, don't give that to him."

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, PIG!"

" **YURI PLISETSKY**! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Oh hey, Yakov," Yuri sighed. He looked at the wreckage of the cart and the shattered glass everywhere. Otabek was passed out on the seat, looking like his spirit had left his body. And Chris... Yuri didn't even want to talk about that.

He was gonna have fun explaining this.

 

**Lol, every fanfic has to have that one crazy chapter, so I decided this was it. Hope you enjoyed :)**


	4. A Three-Person Job

Phichit sighed as he closed the door of the storage room. "My second OTP is setting sail."

He crossed the room, then plucked out the webcam he had hidden between a herd of basketballs. "Did you two get all of that?"

"You bet we did!"

Next, Phichit removed the yoga mat covering his laptop. Two faces took up the screen.

"Astounding as always, Phichit," Guang Hong Ji sighed dreamily.

"Why thank you! And you all didn't do too bad yourself. Leo, you did wonderfully with the Angels. Couldn't have asked for a better leaker. Plus, thanks for getting your friend to let me use this storage room. It worked out perfectly."

Leo de la Iglesia winked from his side of the screen. "No problem! She's an old friend of mine. Glad it was of use for your nefarious purposes."

"And Guang Hong, thanks for the idea to start a shipping war in the first place! You're a genius."

The Chinese boy tilted his head and gave a slight smile. "We should start a matchmaking service and set people up. I'd like to have a significant other..."

"Don't worry, I'll work with you two next!" Phichit said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Guang Hong sputtered shyly. Leo opened up Instagram to check on their first of many Otayuri posts. "Well boss, seems we've got over 6,000 likes and 800 plus comments... Pretty good for a first."

"And this is just the beginning. Things are about to get a lot more interesting," Phichit said, smiling.

Simultaneously, all three's phones buzzed. Phichit immediately grabbed his iPhone and saw that Chris had sent him something.

Leo and Gunag Hong had been messaged by some of their followers, sending them the exact same clip Phichit had recieved.

The three watched in silence as Yuri Plisetsky rocketed down Barcelona's streets in their golf cart.

Leo gaped in horror, "What-"

"The hell?!" Phichit finished as they watched Chris jump up onto the backseat.

"Oh my God, I can't watch," Leo cringed, then dropped his phone facedown on his table.

Guang Hong looked petrified, but couldn't look away. "GUANG NOOOO!" Leo yelled into his screen. "Why did you ask Chris to be their driver?!"

"Because he was the only one willing to do it," Phichit muttered, then facepalmed. "That was obviously a mistake."

"Well, what do we do?!"

"This is getting covered by a news station! What do you want me to do, sabotage the media?!"

Leo hummed, then glanced back over at Guang Hong. "I think he's broken."

Well, this wasn't exactly the type of coverage Phichit had in mind for the new couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Yaay, guess who's back for a limited amount of time! Apologies for the wait, you know how time consuming classes can be sometimes.**   
>  **Here's a short little chapter to contrast with the monster ones I've uploaded previously, lol. I like to think Leo and (especially) Guang Hong are into the shipping scene just as much as Phichit. Plus, I really like these two, so they'll probably pop up every once in a while!**


	5. Getting to Know the Yurio

" **YOU ARE SO LUCKY THAT WAS JUST A DAMN GOLF CART AND NOT A REAL CAR!** " Yakov continued to scream at Plisetsky. " **IF IT HAD BEEN ANY DIFFERENT, WE MIGHT HAVE HAD TO FACE CHARGES!** "

Yuri knew better than to talk back, although he would have been glad to exchange a few choice words with his coach. It would just end badly later on, so he took the tongue-lashing silently.

" **BETTER YET, YOU ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF TWO OTHER SKATERS!** "

Now that was the thing Yuri felt guilty about. It didn't bother Chris that much; he did shit like that all the time. It was Otabek who was disturbed.

After the crash, Yuri had apologized to Otabek, but the Kazakh had simply started at him. After returning a belated shrug, he had retired to the hotel without a single word. _What was his problem?_

Yuri looked up from his daze and noticed Yakov had walked away to shoo off the crowd, where flashing cameras and rapid-speech reporters had gathered. God, they just couldn't get enough of this. Wasn't there something more important occuring that they could stick their stupid noses into?

Yuri donned his gray hoodie and threw his backpack over his shoulder, then walked right through the group of reporters. They parted as if he was Moses and they were the waves of the Red Sea. He heard his name being shouted, but to block out the pestering question they kept pelting at him, he shoved a pair of earbuds into his ears to keep him satiated. Immediately, the noise was muffled. Yuri smiled. _Instant relief._

The banquet hall was convenientally located across the street from a cab dispensary, so finding an available driver wasn't difficult. The cabbie didn't seem to recognize Yuri from anywhere; no pesky questions were thrown at him the entire trip to the hotel. She let Yuri be with his music and didn't try to rile up any awkward conversation that he wanted no part of.

The drive was short and the fee was cheap, just the way Yuri liked it. And for politely minding her own business, he threw in an extra three dollar tip for the driver. The young skater groggily made his way up to his hotel room on the 12th floor as the events of the day caught up with him. He landed on the bed and immediately entangled himself in the soft and fluffy covers, and rolled up like a Yurio burrito.

Right when he was about to go to sleep, he heard a polite rap on the door. The knock was quiet, but enough to yank Yuri out of Dreamland.

"Ugh, damn it," he whispered, then rubbed his eyes and pushed his stray blonde hair out of his eyes.

He pressed his face to cool door and peeked through the peephole. Swiftly, he threw the door open.

"Otabek? Why are you still up? It's 2 in the morning."

The raven-haired skater shifted from foot to foot, then grimaced. Wait... was he uncomfortable?

"I wanted to apologize for being so cold to you earlier. When you said you were sorry for the golf cart incident, I blew you off," he said, exhaling deeply.

Yuri took a step back. Of all the things he expected to hear from Otabek's mouth, that had not been one of them. "Well... I probably shouldn't have done what I did. Yakov reminded me many times after the wreck that you could have gotten hurt..."

Otabek shook his head. "That's all part of the past now. And look; we're alive, aren't we?"

Yuri mumbled, "Well, yeah..."

"Then let it go. I forgive you." Otabek then brigthened up. "Can I come in for a little bit?"

"Uhh," Yuri droned, caught off guard . "Sure. What do you need from me?"

"Well..." Otabek said, stepping into the hotel room and placing himself into the room's only armchair. "If we're going to be fake-dating, we might as well get to know each other better, right?"

Yuri didn't understand, but he perched on the end of his bed, facing his friend.

"So, how about we start with... most embarrassing story?"

Yuri's mouth dropped into a frown. "Wait, so you want me to relive an embarassing moment with you? Why? You going to make fun of me?"

Otabek's eyebrows knitted together. "No, it's just a little funny thing to do to get to know someone. Here, I'll go first."

Yuri watched Otabek with curiosity as the older leaned back and stared at the cieling.

"Hmm. How about... Yes, that was really bad." Otabek adjusted himself, preparing to tell his story. "Well, on my birthday a few years ago, my family got me my first motorcycle. I was excited, even though I hadn't ever driven one before. But regardless, my entire family and I gather on our street and they watch me mount the bike. I start down the street, but then a stray cat walks down the road, right in my way."

Yuri inhaled sharply. Otabek looked over and flashed an amused, but reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I didn't hit it. I swerved to avoid the poor cat, but then I ran right into one of our neighbors' trees."

Yuri sighed in relief, but then smiled at Otabek's cringing at the memory.

"My neighbor was so angry. She came out to the front porch and started yelling at me. If that wasn't bad enough, I had knocked a beehive out of the tree, and the bees were pissed. And guess what?"

Yuri gave a rare grin. "What?"

Otabek smiled back, then closed his eyes. "I'm allergic to bees. So I looked like swollen tomato for about a week. And the very best thing is that my brother got it all on tape." The boy let out a sigh, then ran a hand through his hair. "Well, that was fun to relive."

Yuri let out a chuckle. "You'll have to show me that video some day. Sounds exciting."

"Oh, I'd rather die than let anyone get a hold of that. It's apart of some home video tape down in the depths of my parents' basement." Otabek raised an eyebrow at the Russian. "Well, I've shared mine. Time for yours."

Yuri narrowed his eyes, then said, "What makes you think I have anything embarrasing enough to share?"

"Everyone has at least one."

"Everyone but me, because I'm perfect," Yuri said with a grin, then flopped back on his bed in satisfaction. "But... if you must know, one time I tried to prank Georgi by writing him a pretend note from a 'secret admirer.' It was pretty funny to see his reaction, but then I got my own note from a different secret admirer, but I didn't know who wrote this one. Yakov made me read the whole thing out loud to him, to make sure it wasn't a threat or something like that. One part said, "Roses are red, violets are blue, with an ass like that, you got me ready to sue..." God, it makes me cringe even now. The entire situation was just so awkward. And the fact that Yakov heard every single word of it... Nope. Turns out Georgi and Mila knew it was me who wrote the first letter, so they teamed up to write one for me to get even."

Otabek shook his head and cringed, but smiled. "What scenario should we do next?"

"How about... creepiest story? I think I have a good one for that."

Their stories and tales went on late into the night, far past 4am. It was early in the morning when they had finished exchanging stories, and Otabek was so tired he fell asleep in the hotel's armchair. Yuri was exhausted and didn't have the heart to wake his friend, so he let him stay in the chair. He threw one of his fluffy blankets over the raven-haired teen to ensure he was comfortable, before ultimately drifting to sleep himself.


	6. The Struggles of Social Media

Yuri Plisetsky slowly awoke, feeling himself wrapped up in the covers of his hotel bed. He didn't truly remember the events of the previous day until he glimpsed his friend Otabek drapped over his armchair.

"Good morning," he mumbled to his still-sleeping friend. He proceeded to swap his clothes for a fresh outfit, as he hadn't bothered to change into pajamas the night before.

After getting ready for the day, Yuri sprawled across his bed and opened up Instagram to catch up on the latest.

He had been tagged by Phichit in another post.

The picture was of Otabek standing at Yuri's hotel room door. Both looked a little flustered, with an obvious blush painted across Yuri's cheeks.

_@ otabek-alton visited @ yuri-plisetsky late at night... #CUTE #butSCANDALOUS_

Yuri squeezed the sheet of the bed like it was a neck he wanted to wring.

He sent Phichit a DM.

**yuri-plisetsky** : PHICHIT WHAT THE HELL  
 **phichit+chu** : good morning~  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : WHY ARE YOU STALKING ME  
 **phichit+chu** : I prefer to call it "diligent observing."  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN  
 **phichit+chi** : calm down, it's alllllll part of the plan.  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : JUST DONT DO IT AGAIN  
 **phichit+chu** : why? don't you trust me?  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : NOT REALLY  
 **phichit+chu** : D: I'm hurt. after all we've been through.  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : ALL WEVE BEEN THROUGH IS A LIFE THREATENING GOLF CART CRASH  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : ...  
 **phichit+chu** : hey, don't blame me for that one.  
 **phichit+chu** : and lay off the cap locks, you're hurting my eyes.  
 **phichit+chu** : btw, Victor and Yuuri have both been notified of the competition, although I haven't told them it's you they're competing against. once you tell the world you and Otabek are dating, then they'll know.  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : Okay, thanks I guess  
 **phichit+chu** : aww, you're welcome you little tsundere.  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : WHAT DOES THAT MEAN  
 **phichit+chu** : hah, see you later Yurio.

Yuri frowned. Phichit was a tricky one. But this didn't make Yuri feel any different about their competition. No, seeing his fans' encouragement made him even more sure that he could pummel Victor and Yuuri into the dirt.

Yuri heard rustling behind him. Otabek had started to wake up.

"Oh. Good morning, Yuri," Otabek yawned, then stretched. His eyes widened. "Oops. I forgot I accidentally stayed here last night. You don't mind, do you?"

Yuri felt his heart speed up. "No, it's fine with me."

Otabek nodded, then shuffled to the bathroom and closed the door.

Yuri placed a hand on his cheek, which was slowly heating up and turning an unholy red. "What is wrong with me?" he whispered to himself.

Instead of contemplate, he took a quick picture of himself and posted it to Instagram.

_Morning bed head is stubborn as always #goodmorning #sleepy_

The first comment:

**christophe+ge** : And where's Otabek??? ;)  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS  
 **phichit+chu** : tsuuuuunndere!  
 **seung-gillee** : @ phichit+chu So true  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : Would you all just LEAVE ME ALONE  
 **christophe+ge** : @ otabek-alton where are youuuuuuu???  
 **otabek-alton** : In Yuri's bathroom.  
 **yuri-plisetsky** : STOP  
 **christophe+ge** : ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)   
**+guanghongji+** : #shipshipship  
 **sukeota3sisters** : #shipshipship  
 **phichit+chu** : #shipshipship  
 **v-nikiforov** : #shipshipship

"OTABEK!" Yuri shouted. "QUIT RILING THEM UP!"

**otabek-alton** : Just telling the truth :)

Yuri buried his face in his pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kind words! I'm glad people like this story!  
> I know this chapter is super short, but I've got more plans coming up soon. See you all later!


End file.
